IN THIS ISSUE

MARCH 2013

UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
Will will be at Little Tree Garden Market on April 10, 5:30-7:00pm. Andria and Jeremy show will be showing what we can plan for our gardens this year!

NETWORKING BREAKFAST
On April 24, 7:30am, come listen to Bruce Lloyd discuss the Economic Impact of Tourism in our community. The Breadalbane Inn (487 St. Andrew Street West in Fergus) will be hosting a great breakfast!

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCECentre Wellington ... Celebrates in GRAND Style!
Nominations for the Awards of Excellence have now closed. Be sure to reserve your seat for this event on Thursday May 16, 2013 at the Fergus Grand Theatre downtown.
Doors open with cocktails at 6:45 pm, and awards program at 8:00 pm. $40 each (incl. HST)

15TH ANNUAL GOLF DAY
Mark Wednesday, June 12th on your calendar to join us at Ariss Valley Golf Course for an exciting day of golf! With the end of the snow (hopefully) and the the sun shining more - it's not too early to get practicing your golf swing. Watch for more details in the coming months...
Please contact us if you are interested in sponsorship!

PUB NIGHT

Many gathered for Pub Night on March 5 at the Shepherd's Pub in Elora. The girls did a fantastic job hosting, with many delicious appetizers to go around. A BIG thank you for all your hard work!

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

We had a packed house at PlanetCPU on March 13 for this months BAH. The crew introduced their hard working staff, where they fix their computers, and showed us how to back up our computers in case of an emergency! Draw prize winner was Marlene Morris of Curves Fergus, congratulations!

NETWORKING BREAKFAST

A sold out crowd gathered at O'Bean's JavaBar on March 27, 2013 to hear from Bob Stewart about Advertising 101 and your business. Pictured: Bob Stewart, consultant with The Grand at 92.9FM, and Chamber Director Aileen Hawkins.

TED ARNOTT, MPP REPORTS

For four months and four days, the lights were dimmed in the Ontario Legislature.

Finally on February 19th, the provincial House resumed sitting, with a recycled Liberal Government's Speech from the Throne.

Given that Premier Kathleen Wynne has said how proud she is of the McGuinty Government's record, it should come as no surprise that the Throne Speech sounded like more of the same.

Listening to the Throne Speech, it occurred to me that the Government appears to be in denial. They seem to be completely oblivious to the significant economic challenges the Province faces today.

Whether it is the jobs challenge (565,000 Ontarians are unemployed), the deficit challenge (most recent estimate, $11.9 billion), the rising provincial debt ($258 billion), responsibility for canceling the gas plants to save marginal Liberal seats (cost: hundreds of millions of dollars), the Provincial Government carries on as if the problems don't exist.

Local issues of concern to small town and rural Ontario, like the need for a moratorium on wind farms pending the completion of a Health Canada study and the collapse of the horseracing industry, earned nary a mention.

To the extent that there was an effort to reach out to the Opposition, the governing Liberals veered left. In doing so, they sought and secured a promise of support from the NDP for the important Throne Speech vote.

Next, attention will turn to the upcoming provincial budget, expected sometime in April.

As always, I welcome your ideas, suggestions, and advice. It is an honour to serve you in the Ontario Legislature.

-----

On March 19, I had the opportunity to speak once again in the Ontario Legislature on the future of horse racing in Ontario. The following is the text of my statement, taken from Hansard, the official record of debates in the Legislature:

Ontario Hansard - 19-March 2013

Mr. Ted Arnott:The Premier's announcement on the future of horse racing in Ontario a few days ago was a belated effort that fell short of providing details and the long-term certainty the industry needs to ensure its future in coming years. That she chose to come to Elora for the photo op did, however, demonstrate that the government recognizes the Grand River Raceway as the premier track in the province.

That, and the government's promise to integrate horse racing into the province's overall gaming strategy allow us to plan for the coming year, but it does not atone for the fact that one year ago this very month, without consultation or an honest economic impact analysis, the Liberal government showed callous disregard for the tens of thousands of families whose livelihoods are in one way or another dependent on the industry.

I want to acknowledge the hard work of my colleagues in the Ontario PC caucus on this issue, working with our leader, Tim Hudak, as well as the advocacy of the county of Wellington and the local municipalities in Wellington-Halton Hills. Working together, we've supported the people in the horse racing industry, and their combined efforts have forced the government to implicitly acknowledge the huge mistake that they've made.

But last week the member for Oxford demonstrated his vision for a better future for rural Ontario when along with our leader and other members of the Ontario PC caucus, we released Paths to Prosperity: Respect for Rural Ontario. In that document, amongst other ideas to seize the opportunities of the future, we recommend new partnerships which will serve to strengthen the horse racing industry, allow it to thrive and not tear it apart.

That is the promise of the future, with a Progressive Conservative government restoring good government to our beloved province.

******

Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott welcomes your comments. He can be reached at 1-800-265-2366. His website address is www.tedarnottmpp.com.

MONTHLY WINK

(CWCC's tip of the month)

How to obtain Free PR: Depending on the type of business you are in, whether it is service or product based, you could take advantage of free PR from the media in building brand awareness and ultimately launching your business. The following are some great tips for generating Free PR.

Create a Press Release: The Press Release is your vehicle for communicating your company's success to the media. Whenever you have a significant story to tell, put together a press release and send it out via e-mail to various media outlets.

Write Articles: Many of you are experts in your field. Look for opportunities in various trade journals, local newspapers, magazines that are looking for articles of interest for their readers. (Why not check out the CW Chamber's online magazine The Focus, as an example!)

Public Speaking: Speaking in front of large audiences makes you look like an expert and helps you develop brand awareness. Put together a speakers kit and send it to various organizations, like your local Chamber of Commerce. *Kickstarters

MEMBER MILESTONES

Congratulations to R&R Printing as they celebrate 50 years in the community! Harry Buller took over in 2004. They can be contacted at 519-843-1711.

Liberty Tax in Fergus was named Franchisee of the Year at the Liberty Tax annual convention in Gatineau, Quebec! Contact Kathy and Diane at 519-843-2829 for all your tax needs.

Congratulations to WrightHaven Homes Limited for being nominated during the 2013 Tarion Awards of Excellence - Medium builder category. Good luck on April 23 when they announce the winners in Toronto!

Disclaimer - Any opinions and articles in this newsletter, do not necessarily express the views of the Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce. We take every effort to ensure correct spelling and accuracy of information. If you have any comments or concerns, please email rscarrow@cwchamber.ca or phone 519-843-5140.

The Business Blink is a monthend email newsletter published by the Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce for the business community. If you are not already a member, please consider supporting the Champion of Business in Centre Wellington by becoming a member.